Best And Worst Cities For Welders To Earn A Living

• As a welder, you want every cent of your wages to go as far as possible.
• Industrial Trades Pros assembled a list of average national pay rates for welders adjusted for the cost of living for each of the top metropolitan areas in the United States.
• The average adjusted pay rate for a welder across the top U.S. metropolitan areas was $17.31/hour.

Welding hood, gloves and tools in hand, hardworking welders want every dollar they are paid to take them as far as possible. Industrial Trades Pros investigated for you: “Which cities of the top 50 metropolitan areas are the best or worst paying for welders when you take into account the cost of living?”

We used average pay rate data from Indeed and combined it with cost of living index data from C2ER. The idea behind the study is that a dollar earned in a more expensive city is actually worth less than a dollar earned in a less expensive city. At two extremes, $10 dollars earned in San Francisco, California with a cost of living index of 164 is equivalent to $6.09 in purchasing power (i.e. buying food, paying rent, etc.), while $10 dollars earned in Indianapolis, Indiana with a cost of living index of 87.2 is actually equivalent to $11.47 in purchasing power.

From its data set, Industrial Trades Pros has assembled a list of the adjusted pay levels for welders in the top 49 largest metropolitan areas in the United States (sorry it’s not an even 50, but there wasn’t enough data for welder pay rates in Providence, RI!).

The results will surprise you. With 49 cities, adjusted average hourly pay levels range from $12.69 all the way up to $22.71. You might expect the most expensive cities to provide the least value to its welders, but that is not the case.

See the best and worst U.S. cities to make a living as a welder, ranked from worst to best.

49. Los Angeles, CA

Population:  13,353,907

Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.31

Cost of Living Index: 136.40

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $12.69

 

48. San Francisco, CA

Population:  4,727,357

Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.98

Cost of Living Index: 164.00

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $12.79

 

47. San Jose, CA

Population:  1,998,463

Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.12

Cost of Living Index: 156.10

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $12.89

 

46. Riverside, CA

Population:  4,580,670

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.52

Cost of Living Index: 112.50

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $13.80

 

45. Washington DC

Population:  6,216,589

Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.91 (Welder/Fabricator)

Cost of Living Index: 140.10

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $14.21

 

44. New York, NY

Population:  20,320,876

Average Welder Pay Rate: $23.03

Cost of Living Index: 159.00

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $14.48

 

43. Chicago, IL

Population:  9,533,040

Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.18

Cost of Living Index: 116.90

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $14.70

 

42. Cleveland, OH

Population:  2,058,844

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.09

Cost of Living Index: 101.00

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $14.94

 

41. Sacramento, CA

Population:  2,324,884

Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.80

Cost of Living Index: 116.20

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.32

 

40. Miami, FL

Population:  6,158,824

Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.44

Cost of Living Index: 106.00

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.51

 

39. Kansas City, KS

Population:  2,128,912

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.45

Cost of Living Index: 97.80

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.80

 

38. Buffalo, NY

Population:  1,136,856

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.59

Cost of Living Index: 95.80

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.27

 

37. Baltimore, MD

Population:  2,808,175

Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.45

Cost of Living Index: 119.40

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.29

 

36. San Antonio, TX

Population:  2,473,974

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.78

Cost of Living Index: 95.70

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.49

 

35. Austin, TX

Population:  2,115,827

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.75

Cost of Living Index: 95.50

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.49

 

34. Cincinnati, OH

Population:  2,179,082

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.51

Cost of Living Index: 93.80

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.54

 

33. Seattle, WA

Population:  3,867,046

Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.20

Cost of Living Index: 121.40

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.64

 

32. St. Louis, MO

Population:  2,807,338

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.05

Cost of Living Index: 90.40

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.65

 

31. Columbus, OH

Population:  2,078,725

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.39

Cost of Living Index: 92.00

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.73

 

30. Atlanta, GA

Population:  5,884,736

Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.09

Cost of Living Index: 95.60

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.83

 

29. San Diego, CA

Population:  3,337,685

Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.29

Cost of Living Index: 132.30

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.85

 

28. Minneapolis, MN

Population:  3,600,618

Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.80

Cost of Living Index: 111.00

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.94

 

27. Oklahoma City, OK

Population:  1,383,737

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.68

Cost of Living Index: 91.70

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.10

 

26. Boston, MA

Population:  4,836,531

Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.86

Cost of Living Index: 132.50

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.25

 

25. Dallas, TX

Population:  7,399,662

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.88

Cost of Living Index: 91.90

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.28

 

24. Portland, OR

Population:  2,453,168

Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.32

Cost of Living Index: 111.30

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.36

 

23. Phoenix, AZ

Population:  4,737,270

Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.57

Cost of Living Index: 100.70

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.45

 

22. Louisville, KY

Population:  1,293,953

Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.40

Cost of Living Index: 87.70

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.56

 

21. Birmingham, AL

Population:  1,149,807

Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.18

Cost of Living Index: 90.80

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.82

 

20. Orlando, FL

Population:  2,509,831

Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.47

Cost of Living Index: 97.80

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.86

 

19. Milwaukee, WI

Population:  1,576,236

Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.23

Cost of Living Index: 101.90

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.89

 

18. Virginia Beach, VA

Population:  1,725,246

Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.03

Cost of Living Index: 111.70

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.93

 

17. Tampa, FL

Population:  3,091,399

Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.61

Cost of Living Index: 92.40

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.98

 

16. Detroit, MI

Population: 4,313,002

Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.92

Cost of Living Index: 99.40

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.03

 

15. Indianapolis, IN

Population:  2,028,614

Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.08

Cost of Living Index: 87.20

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.44

 

14. Las Vegas, NV

Population:  2,204,079

Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.91

Cost of Living Index: 101.90

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.56

 

13. Raleigh, NC

Population:  1,335,079

Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.23

Cost of Living Index: 98.20

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.56

 

12. Philadelphia, PA

Population:  6,096,120

Average Welder Pay Rate: $23.80

Cost of Living Index: 126.50

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.81

 

11. Salt Lake City, UT

Population:  1,203,105

Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.00

Cost of Living Index: 100.60

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.89

 

10. Nashville, TN

Population:  1,903,045

Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.84

Cost of Living Index: 88.90

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.94

 

9. Pittsburgh, PA

Population:  2,333,367

Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.59

Cost of Living Index: 91.50

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.22

 

8. Charlotte, NC

Population:  2,525,305

Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.24

Cost of Living Index: 93.20

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.57

 

7. Jacksonville, FL

Population:  1,504,980

Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.36

Cost of Living Index: 92.90

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.76

 

6. Hartford, CT

Population:  1,210,259

Average Welder Pay Rate: $24.09

Cost of Living Index: 121.80

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.78

 

5. Denver, CO

Population:  2,888,227

Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.54

Cost of Living Index: 103.20

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.90

 

4. Houston, TX

Population:  6,892,427

Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.19

Cost of Living Index: 92.20

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.81

 

3. New Orleans, LA

Population:  1,275,762

Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.64

Cost of Living Index: 97.00

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $21.28

 

2. Richmond, VA

Population:  1,294,204

Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.66

Cost of Living Index: 90.80

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $21.65

 

1. Memphis, TN

Population:  1,348,260

Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.03

Cost of Living Index: 88.20

Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.71

 

About Xemplar Workforce Solutions

Xemplar Workforce Solutions is a premier specialty staffing and recruiting company focused on the permanent placement of top professionals, including machinists, welders, technicians, mechanics, fabricators, electricians, precision assemblers, quality inspectors and related positions. We match top professionals with best-in-class employers and reduce cost-per-hire through a service proven to be 2x more effective than traditional staffing. Learn more about Xemplar here.

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